


Reaper's Game

by Xyzcl



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Dream Eaters (Kingdom Hearts) - Freeform, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Phone Calls, Riku eats dreams, Riku is allergic to peanuts, Spoilers - Kingdom Hearts III, Tags Are Hard, The feels, reaper game, unbetad we die like men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-04
Updated: 2019-09-25
Packaged: 2019-11-09 05:12:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 7,890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17995520
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xyzcl/pseuds/Xyzcl
Summary: Roxas calls Sora every day knowing full well he's not going to answer. Still, he leaves a message every day. After days alone in an unknown place, he receives a call from Riku saying he's coming to find him.Little does Riku know Sora's been dragged into the reaper game. And now, Riku's his partner. What will they both have to give up to go home?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by images by @DaPandaBanda and tweets by @mageyapriv, please support them on twitter because they're both amazing!

_“Hey Sora. It's me, Roxas. You didn't miss much today, just Axel and Saix fighting again. I guess Axel lit his shirt on fire again on accident or something. Riku went to Neverland to look for you today. It sounds like Peter and the lost boys miss you almost as much as we do. Almost. I've gotta go, I promised Xion I'd go with her to see Namine. Bye Sora, come home soon.”_

**End of message. To save message, press 7, to delete, press 9**

“.....”

**Message saved. End of messages.**

\--------

_“Hey Sora, it's me again. Wakka and Tidus came over to see mom and dad, I guess seeing Vanitas here scared them because they didn't stay long. He's getting better about scaring people off but I guess there's still a few things we've gotta teach him. Xion and Namine went shopping yesterday when I was talking to Ienzo. I guess they started dating a few weeks ago and were too shy to tell us. Axel behaved today so I didn't have to clean up after him. Ventus and Riku both visited the Caribbean looking for you today and Jack said he hasn't seen you. Where are you Sora?”_

**End of message. To save message, press 7, to delete, press 9**

“....”

**Message saved. End of messages.**

\-----

_“Hey Sora, it's me. I…….”_

“....?”

The line went silent for a while and as he was giving up on hearing the message, Roxas’ voice came through again. It was quiet and shaky, he must have been crying when he was recording this voicemail. 

_“.....please, please come home Sora.”_

**End of message. To save message, press 7, to delete, press 9.**

“.......Roxas…..”

**Message saved. End of messages.**

\------ 

_“Hi Sora, its Aqua. Sorry Roxas couldn't call today, he cried himself sick, poor boy. Axel and Vanitas were arguing while Ven was taking care of him, Olette is with him now so they've all calmed down. Kairi and Terra are still going through their training for the mark of mastery with Yen Sid and Mickey's with Ansem and Ienzo trying to see if they can find you. Riku came back and holed himself up in your room. I hope you're okay, come home soon please. For everyone.”_

**End of message. To save, press 7, to delete, press 9.**

“....Aqua…..”

**Message saved. End of messages.**

\--------

_“Hey fucker, it’s Vanitas. Roxy’s still sick so me and Ven called today.”_

He smiled, hearing Ven arguing in the background about how Vanitas shouldn’t talk to him like that.

_“Zip it Ven, I’ve got the phone. Anyway, Axel dyed Ven’s hair blue, it’s funny as hell but Aqua said she’ll fix it tomorrow. Turns out he’s allergic to the hair dye. Your mom and dad finished the paperwork so Roxy’s officially your brother. He starts school in a couple months, Junior year I think they said? You better be here to start it with him, you little shit._

_….._

_“Sorry about him Sora, Pluto woke him up early and he’s still mad. We all miss you, come home soon okay?”_

**End of message. To save, press 7, to delete, press 9.**

“.....Ven…...Vanitas……”

**Message saved. End of messages.**

\---------

_“Sora, I’m coming to find you. I’ll see you soon.”_

**End of message. To save, press 7, to delete, press 9.**

“....Riku?.....Wait, Riku’s coming?”

**Message saved.**

_“Sora, it’s Axel. Riku ran off alone today. He said he knew where you were and disappeared without telling us where he was going. Something about a promise you made with someone before. Come home safe, both of you.”_

**End of message. To save, press 7, to delete, press 9.**

“Axel…...so he’s really coming…..”

**Message saved. End of messages.**

Sora put his phone back in his pocket, pulling his glove off his hand to reveal the red numbers showing on his palm. They were counting down the days he had left, one day to be reduced to hours, then to minutes. He knew it would cost him, how much it would though, he didn’t know.

“Game Master, I wanna partner with Riku.”

**_[Command accepted, players Riku and Sora are now a group. Group name assigned. Oblivion group members Riku and Sora charged 3 days.]_ **

Looking down at the numbers on his hand, he felt a twinge of worry in his heart as he saw the time on his counter go down by three. It was time for him to leave his safe spot and search for his friend though. He needed to be strong for Riku, he needed to find him.

The reaper game had started.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not crying, my eyes are just sweating!
> 
> Edit - okay so after more research I found out that normally the reaper game only lasts a week? It's too late though, I already gave them three months so hooray for canon divergence! 
> 
> Any questions can be asked on twitter, find me @kei_leonheart


	2. Chapter 2

_“Hey, it's me again. Can you hear me Sora? Riku ran off after you, now we've lost both of you. Where did you go? Do you even get these? I just...we need you back okay? Come home safe Sora, you and Riku both.”_

**End of message. To save, press 7, to delete, press 9.**

**Message saved. End of messages.**

Sora zipped his hoodie up before pulling his shoes on, preparing himself for the trip to find Riku. He grabbed the baseball bat he’d been using as a weapon for the past week and a half while he’d been trapped alone before stepping out of the small house he had been using as a base. The entire time he had been in the strange world he had been in after searching for Kairi, he hadn’t been able to summon the keyblade. At first, he had been so frustrated he almost ended up getting hit by a car. A few days in though, he realized that whatever he was fighting could be defeated without the use of a keyblade or magic. They took longer to fight than the heartless did, that was for sure, but he was starting to figure out their weak points as he fought them more often. Now that Riku was here though, he needed to find him and fast. He wasn’t sure if he was worried about him more or missed him more, he just knew he needed to find Riku. 

Wandering along the streets of the city he was growing used to traversing, he pulled his hood up over his head as it started to rain. Rain was growing familiar to him. It wasn’t something that happened in the Destiny Islands often but in the days he had already spent in the strange new city, it seemed to rain every other day. He walked along the sidewalk as he followed the road even though he knew no one would be driving along the roads. Something just told him he shouldn’t walk in the streets. Looking around at an intersection, Sora finally spotted him after what felt like forever. There, in the middle of an intersection fighting something blue and grey that looked like a medium sized dog, was Riku. Unlike Sora who had ended up running until he found the baseball bat he was still holding onto, the silver haired teen had found a stick and was trying to defend himself, not willing to give up without a fight. 

“Riku!” Sora called out as he ran to his friend’s side, striking the dog quickly with his baseball bat while it was still distracted by the other man. 

“Sora, be careful!” Riku warned as he rushed forward, the stick changing shape in a flash of light to the familiar grip of Braveheart. 

He struck the monster’s back, watching as it fell to the ground. Sora closed his eyes as a flash of light erupted from the baseball bat, the familiar weight of the Kingdom Key replacing it in his hand as the dog disappeared the same way all of the frogs he had been fighting every day for the past week and a half had, leaving behind a small amount of an unfamiliar currency and a silence as both teenagers held their breath. Riku was the first one to move, his keyblade disappearing in a flash of light as he ran towards his friend. The younger of the two boys recalled his own keyblade just in time to be pulled into an unexpected tight hug. 

“Sora, I finally found you.” Riku whispered as he held his friend close.

The brunet gripped the back of his friend’s shirt tightly, waves of emotion crashing over him and threatening to spill out of his eyes as tears as he clung to the taller male. “Riku….you’re really here, you really came….”

The silver haired teen nodded as he pulled away and looked down at his shorter friend. “Of course I came Sora. No matter where you go, I’ll always find you.”

Sora smiled up at his friend before looking down at his hand. “Do you remember when we met Neku and his friends?”

“Yeah, during the mark of mastery exam. I couldn’t forget them if I tried.”

“Well….” his smile faltered as Sora looked up at Riku again. “It looks like this time, we’re not just helping someone else play the reaper game. This time we’re actually playing it.”

The elder looked down at his right hand and nodded, the sight of the red numbers on his hand counting down all too familiar a sight. “Yeah, I heard someone announce when I joined your group. But Oblivion? Really? Isn’t that the name of Roxas’ keyblade?”

“Hey, I didn’t pick it!” Sora argued, laughing as he playfully shoved his friend before pulling him out of the street. “The game picked it on its own when I asked it to make us a group.”

“How did you get the game to do that?” Riku asked as he allowed himself to be pulled up onto the sidewalk. 

“I asked the game master.”

“The game master? Who’s that?”

_**[Did you forget me already, Riku? How rude!]** _

Riku jumped as he heard the voice all around them, looking down at his friend’s apologetic smile in confusion. “Is that…?”

“Yeah, our game master is Joshua.” Sora explained as he looked up at the roof of a smaller building, waving towards where he knew the blonde boy was watching over them from. 

His first mission had been to find Joshua and ever since then the other had been keeping a close eye on him to make sure everything went the way it needed to for him to beat the game. And with finding Riku, he was sure that their second mission was a success as well. Seeing Joshua wave back, he looked both ways before pulling Riku across the street towards the building the composer was sitting on top of. The blonde climbed down the ladder he had propped against the building and walked over to the two teenage boys, none too surprised by the confused look on Riku’s face after seeing it on Sora just days before. 

“Your second mission is a success Sora, good job. Now you two can use your keyblades since you found each other.” Joshua explained, making sure the two of them understood the importance of sticking together. “You’re stronger with your partner than you would be alone. If you lose each other, it’s right back to the bat and the stick and I promise you don’t want that.

“The monsters so far were weak, like the nightmare meow wows and komory bats you fought when you were helping Neku and the others in Traverse Town before. The frogs and wolves will keep showing up but you’ll end up fighting more diverse enemies in different parts of the city as time goes by. And you’ll fight district bosses too, stronger enemies that have turned different parts of the city into their nests of sorts. For right now though, Sora, why don’t you take Riku back to your safe house and show him the way to the Moogle Shop? I’m sure he’s more than ready to sit down for a while and probably hungry too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Autocorrect tried to correct Neku to newt so it's good I'm properly awake while I'm writing this. Happy Tuesday everyone, I hope you like how this is going so far


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finished this early and couldn't handle waiting another week and a half to post it so here it is, an early update!

Riku looked around the small building Sora had brought him to as he walked around slowly, memorizing the layout as his eyes glanced over the well used furniture. It was an older studio apartment with a small kitchen that looked like it could use some work, one door leading to what must be the bathroom and another leading to a small bedroom that would have plenty of space for one person but would cause a cramped feeling for two. In the main room there was an older black leather couch he was surprised was holding together, a silver floor lamp about as tall as Sora was, and a small red oak coffee table with rounded corners. The brunet pulled off his coat and hung it from a hook behind the door, kicking his shoes off and leaving them neatly by the door before walking towards the kitchen. 

“Are you hungry Riku? I only have the ingredients for ham and cheese sandwiches right now but I can make you a few of those if you’re really hungry.” Sora explained as he dug through the small refrigerator, pulling out everything he needed to make sandwiches. 

Riku let out a quiet sigh and kicked off his shoes like his friend had, leaving them by the front door and hanging his coat up on the other coat hook before walking over to the kitchen and resting his head on his friend’s shoulder while the shorter male worked on making sandwiches. The growl of his stomach gave him away before he could respond to Sora’s question and the blue eyed teen let out an amused snort. 

“I guess that’s a yes.” the younger patted his friend’s head before offering him a sandwich. “Master Yen Sid explained everything to me after our mark of mastery exam, I know these won’t help much but they’re something, right?” 

The memories of his recent dreams flashed across his mind and Sora found himself tensing slightly at the thought of them. He was grateful that his friend was with him again but what would Riku think about how potent the nightmares that were haunting him were? Would they sate his hunger easier? Would his friend realize what kind of dreams he was having and become concerned for him? And most of all, would he finally be able to sleep the whole night? If not for the fact Riku was as hungry and tired as he was, the brunet was sure that his friend would notice the dark circles under his eyes from just the past ten days in an instant. He was more impressed that he had managed to hide the fact he was so exhausted so far. There was no way he would be able to hide it for very long though, he needed the help of his dream eater now more than ever and there was no way he could deny that any longer than he already had. 

Riku nodded and accepted the sandwich, sitting back up as he leaned back against the counter and ate it quietly. Ever since he had become Sora’s dream eater a few months earlier, regular food had stopped settling in his stomach properly. Sure he could still eat it but it was his friend’s nightmares he really craved. The taste of his fear, his anxiety, his pain, it all excited him to no end. Just the sheer thought of the younger teen’s nightmares caused his stomach to growl. He craved the darkness that lurked in the back of his friend’s sleeping mind and knew his stomach wouldn’t be full until later when he could consume the dreams that would have been plaguing Sora while they were apart. As much as his stomach told him he wouldn’t be satisfied until later, it didn’t seem to mind as he ate the three sandwiches that the brunet fed him. 

Sora smiled sadly as he watched his friend eat, his heart sinking as he thought about how the sandwiches wouldn’t really be doing much for Riku anymore. Nodding to himself, he put everything back and cleaned off the knife he had used before pulling his companion over to the small couch in the living space. He pushed the older teen down onto the couch and laid down with his head on his lap. 

“I’m gonna try to take a nap, okay? Roxas calls at 7 every night, wake me up before then.” he mumbled as he closed his eyes. 

Sea green eyes blinked in confusion before their owner nodded slowly and began rubbing the smaller man’s back softly. “Get some sleep Sora.” 

Sora smiled as he felt the hand on his back, his body giving in to his exhaustion as he slowly slipped into unconsciousness. Waiting until he was sure the smaller male was truly asleep, Riku carefully leaned down and pressed his lips to the other male’s. He could taste the fear on his lips and frowned. The taste was stronger than it had been the last time he had fed on his friend’s nightmares. Much stronger, more compounded and intense. What had happened to the bright, sunny boy he had protected for so long while he was away? He pressed his hand to Sora’s chest softly, coaxing out the anguish and abandonment, the fear and the pain, the sadness and the loss, swallowing the negativity before running his fingers through messy brown locks as he felt the smaller male relax in his sleep. He licked the last taste of pain off his lips before sitting back up, finally taking a good look at Sora now that he was in his right mind. There were bruises on his arms and legs, more than likely from run ins with the same monsters he had been caught off guard by when he had first ended up in this world. His hands had marks from where he had ended up with splinters, more than likely from the bat he had been wielding when they had found each other. And his face, there were bags under his eyes from lack of sleep. Letting out a quiet sigh, Riku pulled his phone out of his pocket to check the time. It was only a quarter till noon, that was more than enough time for him to get some sleep and see exactly what was troubling his usually cheerful friend. 

The elder carefully picked his friend up, carrying him to what he had figured out was the bedroom earlier and letting out a sigh when he saw the size of the bed. Of course it was a twin, why would there be anything else in a building like this? Riku carefully laid down on the bed with Sora on top of him, holding the smaller male close as he closed his eyes and began to drift off. There was only one way he was going to find out what had kept his friend up at night while they were apart and that was to relive all of his nightmares himself. It was going to be a long night.


	4. Chapter 4

Once he was asleep, Riku found himself in the familiar space of the secret place on the destiny islands, the space seeming darker than he remembered as the stars peeked through the opening in the ceiling. He knew that there was something wrong with the situation, it wasn’t until he turned around that he saw what it was. There, sitting on a rock and staring at one of the drawings carved into the walls, was a strangely familiar dark shadow. The shadow turned to look at him as it sensed his eyes on it, their dark eyes seeming to stare into the depths of his soul as he stared right back. As he watched, the dark figure walked over, stopping in front of him and staring up into his eyes. 

“You aren’t supposed to be here.” the shadow noted, its voice sounding similar to Sora’s but with an edge of something….unnerving.

“If you’re expecting Sora, he’s not coming.” Riku replied adamantly. “Once I consume his nightmares you have no hold on him.” 

“But for how long?” the shadow shrugged and waved his hand dismissively. “How long can you keep feeding on his nightmares until they’re too much for just you? What if you’re separated again? Now that Ventus, Roxas, and Xion aren’t here to protect his heart and share the pain with him, who’s to say he won’t break? You’re only one dream eater, you can’t protect him forever. You couldn’t even keep him safe from Xehanort alone. How many people did it take to keep him safe when he dropped into his dreams instead of the sleeping realms? What did it take for you to get him back when he wouldn’t wake up? All that and you seriously think you can take care of him by yourself? What a joke.”

The silver haired teen could feel himself becoming angry and took a deep breath to calm down. It was obvious that the shadow was trying to goad him into a fight and if he allowed him to win, who knows what would happen. He needed to keep a level head while he spoke to them. Once he was sure he could keep from losing himself to his anger, he spoke again.

“Who are you?” he asked calmly.

“I’m the darkness in Sora’s heart. The piece he calls on when he’s too weak to protect those closest to him. I have no real name, they just call me Antiform, but you can call me Anti.” the shadow replied as it smiled up at the keyblade wielder with an eerie grin. 

“Well Anti, I’ve actually got one thing to tell you.” 

“And what is that?” Anti asked curiously, their head tipping to the side slightly.

Riku smiled and gently patted the top of the shadow’s head. “Thank you for protecting Sora.”

The shadow was caught off guard and stood there in stunned silence, his eyes wide as he just stared up at the silver haired teen quietly. After what felt like an eternity in silence, Anti narrowed his eyes in distrust. He was the darkness in the other’s best friend’s heart and routinely took over his body just because he wanted to fight something. Why would Riku be thanking him?

“What do you mean ‘thank you’? I put your friend in danger and you’re thanking me? Something’s wrong with your head.” the shadow grumbled as he walked back over to where he had been sitting before he had stood up. 

The silver haired teen walked over to see which of the many images he had scratched into the walls with Sora the dark shadow was staring at, being caught off guard when he saw that it was an image he had scratched in himself. It was a carving of him and his friend holding hands as children, his own way of saying they would always be together. 

“He’s afraid of losing you.” Anti confessed as he continued to stare at the carving. “When the three of you were apart he’d always look for you before Kairi because he needs you more. It didn’t matter what you did, to him you were always the most important person. If you hurt him, I won’t give him back to you.”

“I’ll never hurt him again, I couldn’t handle it if I did.” Riku admitted as he sat down next to the shadow. “The one time I hurt him is a time too many.”

Anti nodded, seemingly approving of the answer he received from the keyblade wielder as he ran his hands along the lines of the carving on the wall. “You should go. Sora wanted you to wake him up before Roxas calls, remember?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure what hates me more right now, my knee or my auto correct. Either way, here's chapter 4!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooooooooo..........peanuts
> 
> This is a more lighthearted chapter so enjoy the laughs while you can

Sora let out a quiet groan as he woke up, confused in his half asleep stupor by the fact that his bed was firmer than usual. Had he fallen asleep on the couch again? The brunet slowly remembered what had happened before he fell asleep and sat up quickly, his eyes wide as he stared down at his friend. Riku stared up at Sora as the younger boy processed what was going on before tightly hugging his friend. The blue eyed teen clung to his friend with a loud sob as he pressed his face against his chest.

“Riku….you’re really here. It’s not just a dream, you’re really here with me.” Sora whispered once he calmed down.

Riku nodded as he gently rubbed his friend’s back. “Yeah, I’m really here Sora.”

The brunet gripped his friend’s shirt tightly as he clung to him. “I missed you so much.” 

“I missed you too Sora, I looked for you every day.” the older teen admitted as he carefully sat up, making sure not to hurt his friend as he did. “Come on Sora, didn’t you say Roxas calls you at seven every night?”

Blue eyes widened as their owner quickly climbed down off the bed and ran out to the living room where he had left his gummi phone on the coffee table. Riku smiled as he watched his friend run off, leaving the bed and stretching his arms up above his head. He could almost touch the low ceiling with how much he had grown due to his growth spurt he had gone through while Ansem was still lingering in his heart. Even then he could still feel the darkness in his heart sometimes creeping further into his mind, beckoning for to him give in. Shaking his head to clear it, he turned his attention back to the boy he had searched for for so long as he followed the sound of the phone ringing to the living room where his friend was waiting for his nobody’s voicemail. They both knew very well that Sora couldn’t answer the call even if he wished with all his heart to be able to receive the call. The rules of the game wouldn’t let them respond to their friends. 

Once the ringing stopped, Sora waited anxiously for the screen to light up again with the message that he had a new voicemail. While they waited, Riku felt his own phone vibrate in his pocket and pulled it out to see a text from Kairi.

“I’m dead when we get back…” he mumbled as he checked the message.

_[From Kairi 7:01pm]  
You didn’t tell them you’re allergic to peanuts????_

The silver haired teen paused in his mild panicking long enough to start laughing, handing his phone over to Sora when he noticed his friend’s confusion. “Here, it’s from Kairi. I guess one of the replicas ate peanuts.”

The younger teen’s jaw dropped as he read the text, handing Riku’s phone back to him in stunned silence, taking a moment to collect himself before responding. “You really didn’t tell them you were allergic though?”

“I didn’t realize they didn’t know.” Riku explained with a shrug, taking a deep breath to collect himself as he noticed the screen of his friend’s phone light up. “Looks like you got your voicemail.”

Sora quickly grabbed his phone, dialing the number for his voicemail inbox and quickly putting the phone on speaker before setting it on the table again. The elder male sat down next to his friend in preparation for the breakdown he was sure Sora was going to have. The first voice that came from the phone was Kairi’s.

_“Hey Sora, have you found Riku yet? Oh who am I kidding, he probably found you. You two have been looking for each other ever since we left the Destiny Islands the first- Repliku!”_

The two of them could hear a voice that sounded similar to Riku’s calling Kairi away from the phone and the sound of it being handed over to another person. There was an amused whistling sound before someone else, Vanitas this time, started to speak.

_“Damn, that’s one way to shut Dark up. Remind me to tell Venty-Wenty not to let the replica boys eat Aqua’s peanut butter cookies again. Anyway, that nerd Ienzo told us there’s not a time limit to how long our messages to you could be so we’re playing pass the phone today. I’m not forgiving your parents-”_

_“ **Our** parents, Vanitas.”_

_“Yeah, yeah Roxy, **our** parents. I’m not forgiving our parents for a while because they adopted me without asking me. Guess you’re stuck with me now, **little brother**. Here, talk to your pseudo twin.”_

Sora looked up at Riku confused, letting out a quiet sigh as the older male shrugged, being equally confused.

_“Ignore him, he just doesn’t know how to handle mom’s hugs. When you get back mom and dad are planning on having us all go to school. It’s really my summer vacation this time and not just some computer simulated one. It’s your summer vacation too though so hurry up and come home, both of you. School starts in a couple months and I’m not taking notes for you.”_

**End of message. To save, press 7, to delete, press 9.**

**Message saved. End of messages.**

“.......I have to go to school…..” Sora mumbled in shock, the look of horror on his face eliciting a chuckle from his friend. “No, Riku, you don’t get it! We missed a whole year of school, I’m gonna die!”

“Sora, you’ve fought how many fights with Xehanort and his goons? And you’re afraid of school?”

“I didn’t have to learn algebra to fight Xehanort!”

Riku doubled over laughing, holding onto his stomach as the other boy puffed his cheeks in irritation. 

“It’s not funny Riku!” Sora grumbled as he shoved his friend.

“Sorry, I couldn’t help it. Of all the things you could be afraid of, I wasn’t expecting it to be math class.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Camp Nano has my soul until the end of the month so sorry about late updates. If I can't update for a little while I'll post a notice on my twitter to let everyone know


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the slow updates, burnout's got me hard

Riku stared at the tv quietly, watching some random news channel as it talked about things that wouldn’t have any effect on the two of them as they went through the missions that the reapers and the game master sent them on. He had been with Sora for two days now and was starting to notice the changes that the game had caused in him. His blue eyes showed the shadow of exhaustion from days on end where he would stay up until the nightmares hunted him down in the waking world, his body jumped at the slightest unfamiliar sound even if it was just the wind or rain on the window, and his smile, it showed the defeat of his spirit from the final battle. Just what had Sora gone through without him in the short period of time while they were apart? What had tried so hard to break his light?

Glancing down at his phone for the time, the silver haired teen became concerned by the amount of time Sora had spent in the shower. Was he okay? Standing up quickly, he hurried over to the bathroom door and raised his hand to knock, a quiet sound catching him off guard. It was a sound he knew well, one that he’d heard through their childhood and wanted nothing more than to never hear again, one that he’d caused his friend to make more than he ever should have. 

Trying the doorknob, he found the door was unlocked and burst into the bathroom, finding his best friend on the floor of the tub crying with the water still on. Riku quickly turned the water off and wrapped the smaller teen in a towel, pulling him into a tight hug and rocking him slowly as he rubbed his back softly. 

“Shh, I’ve got you Sora. It’s okay.” Riku whispered as he held the other boy close. 

He ran his fingers through damp brown locks as he looked over his friend’s body. His eyes widened as he noticed all the dark bruises on his body from his fights with the noise in the days they were apart. Some of the bruises were green and fading but others were a nasty shade of purple, fresh on his body from more recent fights. Not fights Riku had also been in but instead from fights he couldn't take part in, fights that he couldn’t protect him from danger in. Holding the smaller male close to him, he rubbed soothing circles between his shoulder blades. 

"Riku…..how did you handle life without me?" Sora asked between sniffles as he clung to his friend. 

"....I almost didn't." Riku replied quietly, sitting on the floor with the brunet on his lap. "I couldn't sleep, couldn't eat, couldn't do anything but search for you."

Sora buried his face in his friend's shirt, keeping close to him. The elder of the two boys buried his face in his friend's soft brown locks quietly. 

"I started throwing up after a few days and Roxas let me try eating his nightmares. I thought I would be able to handle it because he's your nobody, that they would be somewhat similar at least, but…..I was wrong." Riku admitted as he rocked the two of them gently. "His nightmares were fine for a while but after a few nights….they made me sick." 

Sora hugged his friend tightly and clung to the back of his shirt. "I missed you so much…..I hated the nightmares and the fights alone…...I can't do this without you, Riku." 

“You don’t have to Sora, I’m right here with you.” Riku promised as he reached for a towel.

He wrapped Sora in the towel, making sure he was covered before carrying him back out to the bedroom and gently setting him on the bed. The silver haired teen dug through his friend’s dresser, grabbing a pair of black shorts, a loose red tank top, and a pair of boxer shorts before walking back over to the bed. Riku gently coaxed his friend into getting dressed, trying to ignore his nudity as he assisted the smaller boy put his clothes on. After helping Sora dress, he sat down on the bed with him and held him close. 

“I’m here Sora, I’m not going anywhere.” he whispered as he rubbed his friend’s back softly. 

Sora closed his eyes as he clung to the front of his best friend’s shirt, clinging to him tightly as he slowly allowed himself to truly relax for the first time since their Mark of Mastery exam.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the late updates, my dumb self keeps getting sick and sleeping for 16 hours

Roxas let out a sigh as he gazed out at the ocean between from the top of the stairs in front of the Mysterious Tower. It had been a couple weeks since Sora had disappeared and now, with Riku gone too, everyone had decided to meet up at Yen Sid's tower before going to stay in the Land of Departure together. His mom hadn't wanted to let them leave, she wanted Roxas and Xion to stay home with her out of fear that they would disappear too. It had taken hours for his father to convince her that it was for their own good that they leave until Sora came back, that they would be safer with the other keyblade wielders, hours where Roxas had stared at his phone wondering why his Somebody had to disappear again. They had finally taken out Xehanort for good, they didn't have to worry about the seekers of darkness coming after them anymore, he had his own heart and body separate from Sora, so _why_ was his Somebody, his brother, there with him? With their friends? With their _family_?

"Hey there, overthinking again?" Axel asked as he sat a step down from the blond. 

"Thinking just enough." Roxas grumbled quietly, leaning against his friend for the comfort of physical contact. 

Axel chuckled as he mussed his friend's hair before leaning back against the tower steps. He gazed up at the stars of the ocean between with an amused look. 

"Those two just don't know how to stop sacrificing, do they?" he asked after a while, dragging the smaller male from his thoughts. 

"You make it sound like either of them is smart enough not to." Roxas rolled his eyes as he stared out at the stars, wondering which one was his home. 

The two of them sat in a comfortable silence for a while, neither of them wanting to be the first one to break it. After what seemed like an eternity though, the shorter boy turned to his friend to ask him something. 

"Hey Axel, why did you fight so hard to get me back? It's not like I was supposed to exist in the first place, I'm just a Nobody." 

"Don't talk like that Rox." the redhead chastised as he set a hand on the other's head softly. "Whether or not you're supposed to exist isn't for someone to decide, you just do and that's all that matters. You made me feel like I had a heart again, you reminded me of what it was like to actually enjoy living instead of just forcing myself through the same day to day motions Xemnas had drilled into my head. Xion too, you both saved me." 

Roxas shoved his friend, the smile on his face giving him away. "You sap." 

"Guilty as charged." Axel grinned as he stood up, holding his hand out to Roxas. "Come on, everybody's waiting for us upstairs."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Depressed Roxas? 👀 mayhaps


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I offer soft Vanven to help you through these troubling times. I've got a few more side chapters like this one and the last planned and then it's back to our regularly scheduled Soriku!

Ventus hummed quietly as he dipped his arms back into the soapy water filling the sink, the warm liquid coming up to his elbows. Aqua and Terra were busy getting rooks ready for their friends since they would all be staying in Departure together until Sora came back. The bonus to the whole situation was pressed against his back with their arms tightly wound around his abdomen, listening to his heartbeat. 

"Are you tired Vanitas?" Ven asked after a while, checking to make sure his other half wasn't getting too bored. 

"No." the black haired teen replied flatly, keeping himself firmly attached to the other boy. 

The blond nodded as he continued scrubbing the dishes they had just used for lunch. A lone flood pulled at his pants to get his attention and Vanitas grumbled as he pulled away from his light. 

"Yeah?" the black haired boy asked as he knelt down to the small creature's level to find out what it wanted. 

The small creature let out a quiet sound as it flitted into his jacket, curling up against its master's body contentedly. Vanitas rolled his eyes as he zipped his coat up to keep the creature from digging its sharp arms into his skin as it slipped and shoved his hands in the pockets to hold it up. 

"Ven, you've been spoiling Terror too much." Vanitas griped as he leaned back against the counter. 

"Have not! You're the one who feeds him cookies under the table." Ventus argued as he drained the water from the sink and started to rinse the sudsy dishes off. 

"It only eats cookies because you spoiled it too much." Golden eyes rolled as their owner gently pet the small creature in his coat, the act giving him away even after his arguing. 

Ventus held back a laugh as he dried his hands off on a hand towel, checking to see if his other half was paying any attention before sneaking a picture with his Gummiphone and quickly putting the device back into his pocket. Vanitas looked up at the kitchen entryway while his other half rinsed the dishes and set them in the drying rack as Aqua peeked in to check on the two of them. 

"How are you two boys doing?" she asked from the entryway, her distance showing that even with how long they'd all been living together, she still had her hesitations about Vanitas. 

Terror waved from its master's jacket before curling up against him again happily as Vanitas poked the Unversed's cheek. "Ventus is just finishing the dishes." 

Aqua smiled as she waved back at the small creature before walking over to check on Ventus. "Don't push yourself Ven." 

"I'll be fine Aqua, Vanitas and Chirithy won't let me do anything too hard." Ventus replied reassuringly. 

The blue haired woman nodded as she gently mussed both boys' hair before leaving them in the kitchen with just each other and the small Unversed again. Vanitas waited until his other half had finished drying his hands before wrapping his arms around him again, letting Terror wiggle out from between them as he pressed his ear against the blond's back, the sound of his heartbeat giving him a sense of security. Being so close to him felt natural, safe even. 

"Vanitas, you need to let go so we can finish cleaning." Ventus pointed out as he gently pet the small unversed as it wiggled into his grasp. 

"Don't wanna." Vanitas grumbled quietly, pressing his face into the other teen's back. 

The blue eyed keyblade weirder held back a laugh as he turned in his darker half's grip and pressed a kiss to the top of his head. "Come on Vani, we can lay down when we're done okay?"

Vanitas nodded slowly, holding onto the other boy for a few more moments before letting go of him. Terror flitted back over to its master, curling up in his coat as the black haired teen patted its head. 

"Come on, the others should be here soon." Ventus smiled as he reached for Vanitas' hand, gently pulling him along to the main gathering hall. "They'll be happy to see you."


	9. Chapter 9

Xion smiled as she ran her fingers through her girlfriend's soft blonde hair, watching as she slept peacefully. She had woken up a few hours earlier but with how peaceful Namine looked beside her, she didn't have the heart to wake the other girl up. Slipping out of bed quietly, Xion pulled her hair back into a short ponytail before starting in on their combined laundry. Namine was sure to be tired after everything they did the day before, she didn't want her to push herself too hard. The two of them were joining everyone in the Land of Departure later that day so she was sure her girlfriend would want their shared apartment to be clean before they left. Once the laundry was started, the dishes were washed, and the counters were wiped down, Xion started making breakfast for the two of them. She hummed quietly as she scrambled eggs in a pan, turning when she heard footsteps behind her. Turning her head, she smiled at the sight of her girlfriend leaving their bedroom wearing only Xion's black coat. The jacket was too tight in some places and too loose in others due to the differences in their body shapes however, to Xion, even in the wrongly fitting coat Namine was beautiful. 

"Good morning Xion." Namine greeted as she ran her fingers through her hair. 

"Good morning Namine. Breakfast will be ready soon." 

Namine smiled as she sat down at the table, watching as her girlfriend cooked. She ran her fingers through her hair, braiding it slowly before letting it rest over her shoulder. Xion placed a plate in front of her after a few minutes before sitting across from the other girl at their table. They ate in peaceful silence as the two of them stole glances at each other occasionally, smiling and nudging each other's legs playfully. After finishing their breakfast, Xion picked up their dishes and carried them to the sink, humming quietly as she washed them. 

"Let me help you with those." Namine whispered as she reached for the towel to dry their plates off. 

Xion kissed the blonde's cheek softly and smiled. "Don't push yourself, you must still be tired from last night." 

"I'll be fine. Besides, the sooner we finish this, the sooner we can go see everyone." 

Xion smiled as she kissed her girlfriend's cheek, finishing up with the dishes before turning and hugging her. "I've already packed our bags, we can leave whenever you're ready." 

Namine giggled, setting the final plate down in the drying rack. "You're too good to me Xion, thank you." 

"Anything for you." the black haired girl kissed her love's forehead before pulling away, leading the way back to their bedroom. "You should take a shower before we leave, I'll go tell my parents we're heading out, okay?"

Namine nodded and smiled. "I love you Xion."

"I love you too Namine."


	10. Chapter 10

The breeze left a serene hum through the courtyard as Terra patched up old training equipment, preparing for the arrival of the other keyblade wielders while Aqua prepared rooms for them in the castle. For so long the castle had been empty, cold and devoid of all sound, locked away as Castle Oblivion to keep its secrets and the empty husk of one of the students trained under the last master from Scala as he slept without his heart in the hollowed halls of the chamber of waking. He let out a breath he had been holding as he fixed one of the targets, relaxing once the final training dummy was back in one piece. The halls of the Land of Departure were soon going to be the fullest he had ever seen them and it was a welcome distraction from the nightmares he faced in the dark. Aqua had her own demons to face, he couldn't keep burdening her with his as well. It had taken some time to adjust to having Vanitas with them after everything he had done but with how the black haired teen just clung to Ven like a baby sloth all day, he was hardly threatening. It was the darkness that he knew still lingered in his heart that scared him, the thought that he could fall once again into the grasp of Xehanort even though the man had been dead for quite some time now keeping him awake at night. The memories of what he had done while under the control of his master's friend were a heavy burden that would haunt him for the remainder of his days. He would never forgive himself and he hoped that his friends could accept that. He felt arms wrap around his waist and turned his head to see Aqua holding him close, relaxing as she pulled him against her chest. 

"You're doing it again Terra." she whispered as she pressed her face to his back. 

"Sorry....." he whispered as his hand rested on her arms. "I just......I hurt you and Ven so much back then....." 

"Its okay Terra, we forgive you." Aqua reassured as she gently stroked his sides with her thumbs. 

"......why?" 

Aqua looked up at her best friend, confused by his words. "Why what Terra?"

"Why do you two forgive me? So many innocent people ended up hurt because I couldn't control the darkness in my heart and you two just....forgive me for all that?" he could feel himself starting to fall apart, the arms around his waist squeezing him tighter to keep him grounded to the present moment. "Why would you two forgive me after all the suffering you've been through this past decade?"

"Because you're our friend." the blue haired woman replied simply as she rested her head against her partner's back. "We should have listened better and helped you when you were scared but instead we pushed you away. Never again though, from now on the three of us will always be together." 

"Aqua...."

"Now come on." Aqua smiled up at the brunet and patted his arm reassuringly. "We have company to get ready for."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Terra needs a hug, okay? 
> 
> Two more to go and then I promise we're back to the regular soriku


End file.
